Top of Mind 2021 Program Recap

32 Top of Mind 2021 Recap “There are certainly important circumstances where a hand on their shoulder or just being in physical proximity allows someone to share something they wouldn’t otherwise share,” he said. “But there are other people for whom sharing over a computer screen is more comfortable, particularly about sensitive matters.” And while some clinicians may assume that patients would prefer to receive bad news such as a terminal cancer diagnosis in-person, it might actually be better for the patient to receive the news at home and with family. “Maybe that’s more humane than giving it to them in-person but alone in your office,” he said. Less can be more with virtual care Alissa Meade, President of Technology at Arkos Health, agreed and added that it might be easier for some patients to have their family and other support networks with them if they meet with a physician virtually. “If I’m at home I have a lot more sources of comfort around me,” she said. And even for more routine care, it’s often much easier and more convenient for patients to handle these visits virtually – and even via asynchronous modes of telehealth. For example, Meade said, if the patient just needs a prescription for conjunctivitis, it’s a transaction that doesn’t require a face-to-face or synchronous interaction. “Let’s recognize when less is more,” she said. Empathy extends to product development Sara Vaezy, Chief Digital Strategy & Business Development Officer at Providence, pointed out that empathy for patients should also extend to product development in telehealth. While it might be ideal for physicians to perfect their web-side manner for a video visit, what does it matter if some patients don’t have a broadband internet connection? “If we’re expecting everyone to engage via video, but they don’t have a private place to go, and we haven’t taken into account discretion and privacy,” Vaezy said. “Empathy can manifest itself and be reflected in how we deliver care, how we build products, how we build services, and how we make them available to folks.” T O P O F M I N D O N L I N E V I R T U A L S U M M I T Breakout: Telehealth